The Last Flight of Four Papa Mike

Summary

Gary, a 45 year- old self-employed businessman, is close to obtaining his pilot's license.One of his final steps is to accomplish a solo cross country flight across the plains of northern Colorado.The weather is close to perfect, and his airplane, a Light Sport Gobosh is ready to go. Unfortunately Gary realizes something has gone very wrong soon after takeoff, and he now has to face the challenge of flying a crippled airplane. His life is now in jeopardy, and he must utilize everything he's been taught to return to the airport and attempt a safe landing. Will this dire situation prove to be too much for a student pilot to handle? Will Gary live to tell this tale? Grab a copy of this short story to find out.

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The Last Flight of Four Papa Mike - Peter Julier

The Last Flight of Four Papa Mike

By Peter Julier

Copyright 2014 Peter Julier

Smashwords Edition

With his checklist in hand, Gary, a 45 year-old self-employed businessman, started the preflight inspection of the Gobosh 700. He was feeling a little nervous about his first solo cross country flight. This was one of his final steps towards obtaining his Light Sport pilot license. He'd just had the fuel topped off; 18 gallons will be more than sufficient for his 53 nautical mile roundtrip flight from Centennial Airport (KAPA) to Greeley (KGXY). Although it is extra weight for the small Gobosh to carry, it's a great insurance policy to have just in case. Just in case of what? he asked himself. Getting lost? Diverting to another airport? Unexpected weather? There is a saying about Colorado weather; If you don't like it, just wait 10 minutes and it will change. That saying couldn't be more true, especially this close to the Rockies.

Why was he worrying so much? There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the briefer told him the weather enroute would not be a factor; just a little wind from the northwest at about 10 knots. This would be the second most memorable flight of his life, second only to his first solo last month.